MASINLOC, Philippines ¨C The Philippines may have won a landmark victory against China¡¯s claims in the South China Sea 10 years ago, but today local fishermen have become too afraid to venture out to Scarborough Shoal and its prized fishing waters for fear of harassment by Chinese vessels.
The shoal, one of Asia¡¯s most hotly contested maritime areas, has ?been under China¡¯s de facto control since 2012. In 2016, an international tribunal ¡ª the Permanent Court of Arbitration ¡ª ruled Beijing¡¯s sweeping maritime ?claims had ?no basis under law.
The waters at the shoal, which China calls Huangyan Dao, are traditional fishing grounds ?shared by multiple nations, including the Philippines, China and Vietnam, the tribunal said. It did not rule on which country had sovereignty over the shoal.
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